PSYCHOLOGY

Modern psychology concerns itself more with what Sri Aurobindo describes as the 'outer being' of an individual—the being that is comprised of the outer physical, outer vital, and outer mental. Where it goes behind and beyond the outer being, it often lacks the deeper perspectives that come from the ancient Indian tradition. Sri Aurobindo, from whose writings scholars have evolved the subject of Integral Psychology, describes the gamut of the human being—the outer being, the inner being, and the innermost or psychic being. In addition, Sri Aurobindo describes various levels of consciousness from the inconscient to the superconscient that form the vertical scale of consciousness. The practice of Sri Aurobindo's Integral Yoga is based largely upon this picture of the human being.

SABDA's psychology titles by authors other than Sri Aurobindo and the Mother range over various aspects of the topic. Some include passages from the primary material that give an overview of the salient aspects of Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's psychological thought. These authors explicate Integral Psychology in the context of modern psychology. Integral Psychology, they hold, is not mysticism or occultism just because it is related to yoga; rather, Integral Yoga is a set of yogic practices that involve describable psychological processes.

In almost all titles that extensively quote Sri Aurobindo and Mother, essays by the authors explicate and/or expand on the primary material, offering insights that enrich the quotations. Often, the titles carry forewords or introductions of value to the scholar and student alike, pieces which serve to introduce either the topic or Sri Aurobindo and the Mother themselves. The psychology titles not only explore the subject of Integral Psychology, but also delve into cognate areas such as psychoanalysis, juxtapose theories drawn from Sri Aurobindo's and the Mother's psychological thought with other theorists', and even go so far apparently afield as to explore the symbology of the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt in the light of Sri Aurobindo. Most of the authors are professionals in various fields of psychology and psychoanalysis.

Visitors to the site who are interested in psychology are encouraged to browse this section by clicking on the titles below. All of these titles carry an 'About' the book section and some come with a 'Review' section too.